After the First Date
by TwilightSparkle3562
Summary: Following the events of "Kim and Ron's First Date," Kim and Ron struggle to recover from Eric's rampage against them on their first date while Eric tries to apologize to Kim for his actions.
1. An Uneasy Night's Sleep

Disclaimer: I do not own "Kim Possible" or its characters. They are property of the Walt Disney Company and its affiliates.

"After the First Date"

By TwilightSparkle3562

Chapter 1

"An Uneasy Night's Sleep"

Kim Possible laid in her bed the night after her first date had supposed to end, not being able to sleep with her mind so conflicted. This night was supposed to be one of the most magical nights of her life. She and Ron had a night that had been perfectly mapped out and now, thanks to a robot that was ordered by her archenemy to weaken her, that perfect night was now completely ruined.

But, her botched date was the last thing she could think of at that moment. Kim was also thinking of her close friend and fellow cheerleader, Tara, who had been through the most horrific experience at the hands of a complete monster.

"I should at least call Josh and see how Tara is doing," Kim thought to herself as she reached over to her phone. "Damn you, Eric. Why did you have to do this to me and my friends?"

Dialing Josh's phone number, Kim anxiously waited for her first love to pick up the phone. Fortunately, despite the time of night, Kim heard the other line be answered.

"Hello?" asked a groggily voice. "Whoever it is, do you know what time of night it is?"

"Sorry Josh," replied Kim, sitting up in her bed. "I didn't mean to wake you. I just wanted to see how you and Tara were doing. I couldn't really sleep that much."

"Neither could I," sighed Josh, yawning as he spoke. "I couldn't help but think of Tara and what she is going through right now. He kept saying that Tara was going to enjoying what he was about to do to her."

"You mean, Eric?" remarked Kim. "Yeah, what he did was unthinkable and wrong. He used you both to get to me and had it not been for Ron and Mr. Barkin…"

Kim couldn't finish her sentence, not just for her own sake, but for the sake of Josh. Josh was the coolest guy on the block and he didn't deserve any of this at all. Yes, they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend anymore, but they were still friends in that sense of the word.

"Don't think of that," said Josh, trying to calm Kim's mind down. "You did what needed to be done and Ron did what he had to do in order to save you. But, it seems like everything has gone, well, so fast like a blur. Honestly, I don't know how we are going to get through this, Kim."

"Neither do I," sighed Kim heavily as she lowered her head in deep thought. "But, I know this is silly to ask Josh, but have you ever been used for something that is not love?"

An awkward silence fell on the other line and Kim for a moment, thought that she had upset Josh very much. However, to her surprise, he wasn't. Being someone who was creative, handsome and good natured, Josh was known to have a few girlfriends every now and then.

"Um, Josh?" asked Kim, worriedly. "Are you still there?"

"I am Kim," answered Josh, much to her relief. "Believe me, I've been used before and well, let's just say it wasn't pretty. Why do you ask?"

Kim pulled the receiver away from her ear for a moment and debated internally whether or not she should tell him how she felt. But, there was no reason to put herself and Josh, especially on the verge of anxiety, in suspense.

"Well, that guy who attacked us tonight," said Kim, nervously. "He…used me."

Josh felt shocked and even though Kim didn't see him face to face, there was no question that he felt his mouth drop.

"Jesus Kim," he gasped. "I'm so, so sorry. If there is anything that I can do to help you…"

"There is nothing you can do except pray," Kim cried, her eyes filling up with tears. "Pray that he understands that he hurt me, Josh. Eric really hurt us all tonight and I don't know if I can fully forgive him for all that had happened tonight."

Kim was now beginning to get really choked up, but she knew that she needed to be strong. Kim needed to maintain the image that she was the girl who could do anything, and this to the eyes of the people who looked up to her would be seeing her in a different point of view.

"Listen Kim," said Josh, who then got himself a really good idea. "It's going to be a long week with all that is going on. Why don't we get together over the next few days? Maybe meet up for dinner or something?"

"But are we meeting as friends or…?" Kim started to ask.

"We are meeting as friends," interrupted Josh. "The days of us being lovers are over, Kim. We are friends that need to stand together and support each other in times of need. What do you say and it won't be like our first and last date together?"

Kim produced a tear filled smile and silently accepted the invitation. Considering that the last time she and Josh went out was a night she nearly disappeared, thanks to Drakken and his embarrassment ninjas, Kim needed to just be around people that she knew.

Of course, she was strong willed in her confrontation with Eric, but the thoughts that went through her mind were causing her to become emotional. Of course, the combined lack of sleep didn't help her situation.

"Josh, I could sure use it," remarked Kim. "But, what about…?"

"We can visit her together afterwards," said Josh. "And we can visit Ron as well. Let's have the next few days be a time of healing. Talk to you later and stay strong."

Once the conversation had ended, Kim buried her head into her bed and cried herself to sleep, the pent up emotions of recent being released. She had no idea of the gravity of the situation that dragged her, Ron, Josh and Tara into this nightmare. But most importantly, all Kim could do was ask herself why would Eric do such a thing when he once loved her as a girlfriend?

That was the same question that Eric was asking himself as he sat in the jail cell at Middleton prison. When Eric was brought in, he was angry, angry that he was defeated again and now he was in jail, possibly awaiting whatever sentence was going to be handed down. He was nervous, nervous that he would never see the light again.

"I need to see Kim again," Eric thought to himself. "I need my human side to take over my robotic side before whatever happens to me. Internal programming, I command you to program me to my human side."

After a few moments, the internal computer inside Eric changed him over from his robotic evil side to his human good side.

"There," sighed Eric, quietly. "I'm back to the way I was when Kim and I left for the prom. I can't believe I was such a fool to do what I have done. I just hope Kim can forgive me for what I have done."


	2. Last Day of School

Chapter 2

"Last Day of School"

In the days since the first date that turned upside down, while Kim was dealing with the fact of whether she was simply used for the first time in her life, she knew that the end of the school year was upon her. But, given the fact that both she and Ron had been through literal hell, it certainly didn't feel like it at all.

Ron was still in the hospital recovering from his knife wound he had sustained in the attack and she was alone. Drakken and Shego were in jail, so there was not very much missions that Kim could take part in anyway. But, even if there was a mission that Kim could have taken part in, she certainly would have felt like taking part in it. It wouldn't have been the same without Ron at her side.

"Last day of school," sighed Kim as she rolled out of bed on the last day of school. "It certainly doesn't feel like it though. Here I am, a young junior about to become a senior and I should be happy, but I'm not."

Walking over to her closet, Kim scoured through her wardrobe for something summery, but nice to wear to mark this important occasion. After scouring through her closet, Kim finally found the one outfit that made her both beautiful and important.

"This is the one," she said, smiling slightly as she held up her newly repaired and cleaned sleeveless navy blue dress she wore on her first date with Ron. "I'm wearing this dress for you, Ron."

Hanging the dress on her bedroom door, Kim went into the bathroom for a warm shower and soon, after applying a little makeup on her face and a clean pair of tan stockings on her legs, Kim slid the dress over her head and looked at herself in the mirror as placed the small red pendant around her neck. There was no question that Kim wanted to wear this dress. It wasn't just any plan old dress in her lengthy wardrobe, this dress represented her beauty, her innocence, her dignity as a young woman.

Most importantly, she was wearing this in honor of the two most important men in her life: her boyfriend Ron and her first love and good friend, Josh Mankey. One was in the hospital and the other was in dire need of helping his own girlfriend recover from the nightmare that was meant for Kim.

Sliding on her black dress sandals, Kim grabbed her purse containing her kimmunicator and walked down the stairs where her parents were in the kitchen.

"Morning, Kimmie," said her mother, Mrs. Dr. Possible. "You look pretty, this morning? I guess you couldn't wait to wear that dress again."

"It makes me feel beautiful, especially after what recently happened," remarked Kim as she sat down at the table. "Besides, I could be meeting with Josh Mankey after school."

"Nice to hear that you two are still communicating," said Mr. Dr. Possible, as he drank a morning cup of coffee. "It's quite unfortunate how he must be feeling right now. Not to mention that Ronald is still in the hospital. When do you think they'll discharge him, Kim?"

"Well, I'm probably going to see him at some point later on today," answered Kim. "It would be nice if they discharged him today or something. But, that's up to the doctors to decide."

As Kim spoke both her parents noticed the pain that was still in her eyes. They could tell that Kim was suffering from a lack of sleep, which they were not surprised at. After all, their own daughter was nearly subjected to a terrifying ordeal that no woman, old or young, deserved to go through something like this.

"Um, Kimmie," asked Mrs. Dr. Possible. "Your father and I were wondering, do you want to stay home today?"

"Mom," gasped Kim. "I can't. We start our summer cheerleading practices today after school and I can't miss it. We are already missing Tara and I can't afford to miss it."

"Well, we were only asking because we care, Kimmie cub," replied Mrs. Dr. Possible, getting up from the table. "We know that cheerleading is important to you, but your health has to come first. I mean, if you aren't up for cheerleading…"

"Mom," said Kim, dashing over to her mom and placing her hands on her mom's hands. "I'll be fine. Besides, this is the day I transition from junior to senior."

Both Kim's parents could see that Kim was more than willing to try getting through the day. After all, Kim was the girl who risked her life every day to protect the world from evil beings like Drakken to begin with. However, with those words, they knew that they wanted to at least capture the moment.

"Which reminds us," said Mr. Dr. Possible, grabbing his camera. "Since you are going to school after all, may we get a picture of you on your last day, Kimmie?"

Kim didn't really feel like getting her picture taken, but knew that her parents wanted to at least capture this important moment in their daughter's life. Walking out towards the bottom of the stairs, Kim stood on the bottom of the stairs and posed as she took pictures solo, with her parents and regrettably, her brothers.

"Call us if you need anything at all," said Mrs. Dr. Possible as they walked Kim out to her car. "We love you, Kimmie."

"Love you too, guys," replied Kim as she hugged her parents goodbye and got into her car, backing out of the driveway and heading over to Middleton High.

As she drove off, Kim let out a deep sigh of relief, knowing now that she was alone with her thoughts. It didn't take long for Kim to be driving up to Middleton High, did she hear her Kimmunicator going off.

"What's the sitch, Wade?" she asked, taking the Kimmunicator out of her purse. "I'm just pulling into school right now."

"Sorry to bother you Kim," replied the boy genius. "But, Ron just got in contact with me and he was wondering if you wanted to visit him later on today."

Kim had to really think about her decision for a moment, knowing that she was very likely going to be coming with Josh. However, she remembered that they both had come to a truce at the theater and felt like with the truce, there would be no blows that would be carried out, at least for now. There was enough injury as it was.

"Tell Ron that I will meet him later on tonight," Kim replied as she parked her car. "Josh is thinking of checking up on Tara as well, unless if anything else comes up."

"Great, I'll let him know," said Wade. "Have a good last day of junior year."

Kim sighed as she placed the kimmunicator back into her purse. Once again, she could only hope and pray that nothing else would come to dampen on her already damp situation. Taking a deep breath, she got out of her car and walked into the halls of Middleton High to begin her final day of junior year.

Meanwhile, Eric had been approached in his cell by a police officer where he had a request to make that would involve Kim.

"The warden says that you wish to speak with Miss Possible," replied the officer. "Is that correct?"

"Yes," said Eric. "I wish to speak with her. Please, I am begging the warden to give me this chance to apologize to my victim for my actions."

"Very well, I shall tell the warden," remarked the officer. "However, you will be watched on camera to make sure that you do not touch or think of anything that would add to your charges against Miss Possible. Is that clear?"

Eric nodded at this command that was given to him as the officer handed Eric a piece of paper that had something of great importance written on it.

"Before I leave," said the officer. "Your blood test revealed that you are not human, but a robot. You have blood in your system that only a synthrodrome could have. If it's confirmed, then Dr. Drakken will also be charged in your crimes as well. Are you aware of what is being said to you?"

Eric didn't care about Drakken also being charged for his actions. All he wanted to do was apologize to Kim for what he had done, but would she accept his apologies in the end?


	3. Good News for Ron

Chapter 3

"Good News for Ron"

Ron spent another day in the hospital looking out the window as he was nearly fully recovered from his knife injury in his arm. It certainly felt strange for him to be in a hospital bed, especially since today was the last day of his junior year. He wanted to be at his girlfriend's side, but he couldn't. He had Rufus with him, but it wasn't the same, Ron wanted to be with Kim and no one else.

"Mr. Stoppable," called a voice as the sound of knocking was heard on his hospital door. "May I come in?"

"Uh, sure, Doc," said Ron, trying to get his mind focused. "Yeah, you can come in now."

The door opened and a middle aged man walked into Ron's room, sitting down next to him in order to exam his wounded arm.

"Well, Mr. Stoppable," said the doctor as he examined Ron's arm. "The tests that we did on your arm have shown that the muscles have since mended themselves and you should be good to go possibly tomorrow. It's a miracle that the vital parts of your arm weren't affected."

Ron sighed with relief knowing that he wasn't in a much worse situation than he already was in. This gave him a sense of hope that maybe things will be better, but he couldn't celebrate just yet. For there was still a few more bits and pieces that the doctor needed to tell him.

"However," he said. "You will need to have three weeks of physical therapy and your arm will have to be in a sling for a week. There are still some muscles that have not fully healed and will need some extra time."

"That sucks," remarked Ron, sadly as he stroked Rufus on the head. "Guess I am going to have to start my summer vacation in recovery mode. Damn that, Eric."

"I will say this, Mr. Stoppable," replied the doctor, as he bended Ron's arm out straight. "Just be thankful that you are alive. Most people who suffer stab wounds pretty much don't survive and I know this for a fact. I've tended to the injuries of gang members and random domestic disputes."

Ron knew that the doctor was right, he needed to remember the gravity of his situation that was not as worse as it could have been. Eric could have had done some serious damage to Ron and he needed to remember that. Yes, his life was disrupted, but it could have been far worse.

"You must have had a lot of blood to clean up in your life," said Ron as the doctor bent his arm. "Ow!"

"That to me is a sign of what I was talking about, Mr. Stoppable," advised the doctor. "The pain you are feeling is a result of the muscles that have not yet healed. I think one more day of observation is what we are intending to do at this point and then, you can be discharged tomorrow morning."

"Hey Doc," Ron asked. "Before you go, what time are visiting hours today? My girlfriend may want to stop by later."

"Up until about 9:00 tonight," replied the doctor as he walked to the door. "You can let her know that she is welcome to come in and visit you up until then."

Knowing that he had been given his ticket out of here, Ron reached over and grabbed the cell phone that sat on the bedside table, sending Kim a text to tell her that she was welcome to visit him later.

"Can't wait to see you, Kim," sighed Ron as he sent the text. "And I can't wait to get out of here once and for all, eh, Rufus?"

The naked mole rat chuckled as he snuggled with his master, the thoughts of freedom circling through both of their heads.

Meanwhile, Kim arrived at school hoping that today would just go by quickly, going through her final cycle of classes and soon, the time had come for early cheerleading practice where Kim and her squad received new uniforms. However while in the locker room Kim's rival, Bonnie Rockwaller, saw Kim's vulnerability and saw an opportunity to get under her skin.

"So Kim," said Bonnie as Kim changed out of her cheerleading uniform and back into her blue dress. "Did you and Ron peel the grape?"

"What?" remarked Kim, sharply turning towards Bonnie and giving her a cold stare while pulling up her tan stockings on her legs. "Why do you ask that?"

"Oh, because isn't that what happens on most dates?" sneered Bonnie, shrugging her shoulders in an uncaring manner. "Don't most people have…?"

"Stop it, Bonnie!" snapped Kim sharply, storming over to Bonnie. "Stop it! Don't you have any compassion for what Ron and I are going through?"

"Um, no," remarked Bonnie, sarcastically. "No, I don't. It's just that you both wanted to go on your first date to shut me and the rest of the school up, isn't it? I knew that you and that loser, Ron Stoppable, wouldn't even have the guts to…"

But, Bonnie's sentence was interrupted when Kim roughly pushed her back against a wall, much to her shock.

"Don't you say another word, Bonnie," Kim seethed with anger as her eyes glared with fury at Bonnie. "How would you like to be in the situation that Tara is in right now? How would you like to see a man rip your dress and force you to mate with him? You know what that is? That's a crime that you can go to jail for and you will end up having nightmares forever because of it."

"That's Tara's problem," chuckled Bonnie, much to Kim's amazement. "All I care about is you and Ron…"

"Shut up!" cried Kim as she released her grip on Bonnie and walked over to grab her gym bag and purse. "I don't need to hear you bad mouth me and Ron anymore, Bonnie! Whatever Ron and I do is our own business and not your business as well as the student body's. So, just leave us alone, all right?"

Bonnie made several more cat calls at Kim as she left the locker room. Bonnie was always the one who was the most insensitive around Kim and Ron, but this was just another case of going too far. Once Kim was outside, she let out a deep sigh as she walked to her car only to be met by Josh Mankey, who was also walking out to his car.

"You all right, Kim?" he asked, noticing the angry look on Kim's face. "You look as if…"

"Bonnie was at it again," interrupted Kim as she threw the bag containing her uniform into the backseat of her car. "Imagine, Ron and Tara are in the hospital and she is making inappropriate remarks. 'Peel the Grape.' Who does she think she is?"

"It's just Bonnie, Kim," advised Josh. "Let her do her own thing and just move on. Why don't you meet me over at the Clubhouse Grille in about a half hour? We can have an early dinner and you can tell me any ill feelings you have about Bonnie."

"Sure, see you in a little bit," sighed Kim, still dealing with the ignorance of Bonnie's actions that were now playing around in her head.

The school year was over, but that was beside the point for Kim as she continued to think about Ron and only hope for the moment when she would visit him at the hospital. Before she pulled out of the parking lot, her kimmunicator rang and she read the text Ron had sent her:

"Doc says that visiting hours are until 9pm tonight," the text read. "Can't wait to see you, Kim. Love you!"

Kim began to feel slightly better at this uplifting message, but her road to recovery along with those affected by Eric was only just beginning…


	4. Dinner with Josh

Chapter 4

"Dinner with Josh"

Kim drove off from Middleton High closing the book on her junior year of high school and opening the book on her senior year, but it certainly didn't feel like it at all. Her confrontation with Bonnie was not only wrong, it was inappropriate. Kim was not a girl who would go for something so dirty as to get together with someone, especially Ron. Still, having an early dinner with a good friend like Josh was more than enough to take the pain off of her mind.

"Everything okay, Kim?" asked Josh as Kim walked into the restaurant. "Bonnie must have really torn you a new one."

"A very insensitive act on her part," answered Kim bitterly. "I mean, she doesn't realize of the gravity of the situation that we were all in, Josh. We were at the mercy of someone who had evil acts out of revenge. Not to mention Eric tried to undress me."

Once they sat down, Josh began to notice something that was very alarming to him. He noticed that Kim was wearing her blue dress from the night of Eric's rampage.

"Kim, I don't mean to be intrusive," remarked Josh. "But, isn't that the same dress you wore to Fantasia? I mean, you took a lot of bravery to wear it again after something like this."

"I wanted to wear this dress, Josh," replied Kim. "It represents more than just my first dates with you and Ron. It represents my inner beauty, my innocence, my desire to grow into a mature woman. Besides, it makes me look beautiful. Don't you agree?"

"Well, you certainly do, Kim, no matter what you wear," chuckled Josh. "Still, I'm just amazed you could get it cleaned and repaired so quickly. Did Bonnie make any cat calls about it?"

"No, she didn't, thank God for that," remarked Kim as they were served glasses of water. "I mean, I know Bonnie is my rival, but she didn't have to act the way she did, Josh."

A look of concern fell on Josh's face, almost as if to say to Kim that he too, was also the victim of Bonnie's catcalls and remarks. True, Josh was one of the most popular guys in school, but he was human after all and had a soft side like Kim did.

"Yes, she can certainly be like that sometimes," sighed Josh, a hint of frustration towards Bonnie deep in his face. "I mean, she was making fun of me for not being there for Tara when that guy you call Eric confronted us. I was bound and gagged in a closet for God's sake, Kim! What was I supposed to do? Magically break out of my bonds and save her?"

"Josh, it wasn't your fault," cried Kim, trying to calm him down. "There was nothing you can do. All Bonnie wanted was to make our respective dates become the talk of the class. She doesn't know the whole truth and I don't think she cares at all."

Josh knew that Kim had a point. When he and Kim were boyfriend and girlfriend, Bonnie always made the same jokes about them. Josh was not going to change who he was and neither was Kim. They were two very different people who had found the perfect soulmates to share with them.

"But, let's let Bonnie do her own thing," Josh said after he and Kim placed their dinner orders in. "We have to worry about Ron and Tara right now."

"Speaking of which," replied Kim, reaching into her purse and pulling out the kimmunicator. "Ron sent me a text saying that visiting hours are until 9:00 tonight. Were you thinking of swinging by the hospital and visiting Tara? I was going to swing by and visit Ron."

"Yeah," said Josh. "Why don't we go after we eat? Might as well visit now than wait until later."

Soon, Kim and Josh had their dinner of cheeseburgers and soon got in their cars, heading over to Middleton Hospital where Ron and Tara would spend the last night there as inpatients and soon would be outpatients.

Meanwhile, Eric was in the prison courtyard during the mandated exercise period, but he certainly didn't feel like exercising. All he could do was think about the impending meeting that he would have with Kim. This caught the attention of Dr. Drakken, who was not too far away.

"What are you thinking about, Synthrodrome?" sneered Dr. Drakken. "If you are thinking about escaping, then you are sadly mistaken. This cops won't let you walk out of here alive."

"I'm not thinking about escaping," answered Eric, trying to walk away from Dr. Drakken, but was unable to. "I'm thinking about what I did to Kim and her friends."

"Oh, please, I think you did splendidly," chuckled Dr. Drakken, gleefully placing his hand on Eric's shoulder. "I mean, you had Kim Possible at her mercy and nearly made the pathetic sweet little girl that she truly is. You should be happy for such an accomplishment."

"I was, but now I'm not," sighed Eric, his voice filled with remorse as he sat down on a large rock and buried his face in his hands. "Dr. Drakken, I wish now that things were different. I wish that I wasn't a synthrodrome."

This made Dr. Drakken very cross. Eric was a synthrodrome and there was no use in denying the fact that he was one. Dr. Drakken purchased Eric fair and square from the synthrodrome factory and made him do his bidding.

"Now listen here, pretty boy," he snapped, pulling Eric's collar towards his face. "I only gave you human traits because I needed you to weaken Kim Possible, not to fall in love with her. What you did was simply carry out my orders and nothing more."

"But, Dr. Drakken…" Eric started to say, but Dr. Drakken silenced him by placing two of his fingers on Eric's mouth.

"No buts!" interrupted Dr. Drakken hastily. "You work for me, Synthrodrome, so remember that! Understand?"

Eric could feel like Dr. Drakken was trying to activate his evil side again, but tried his hardest to not give in to Dr. Drakken's desires for him to become evil. Fortunately, the guards were herding the prisoners back to their cells before Drakken could get through to Eric and make him evil again.

Once back in his cell, the warden of Middleton Prison stood in front of Eric's cell with important news that was concerning his request for a private meeting with Kim, but there was also something else of great importance.

"I have some news from the court," said the warden, handing Eric a small piece of paper. "The judge has explained to me that you can avoid trial and a possible death penalty if you plead guilty to the charges against you."

"What about Dr. Drakken?" asked Eric.

"The same message has been given to him as well," replied the warden. "As your creator, he too, is also charged with the same crimes as you, robot. If you refuse this offer, you will be given a trial and your victims will be forced to face you in court."

Eric knew that there was one decision that he needed to make and that was he needed to plead guilty to the charges against him. He couldn't bear to see Kim testifying against him and she had suffered enough along with Ron and their friends.

"The decision is yours, robot," said the warden as he walked away from Eric's cell. "Do as you like with the cards that have been offered to you."

But Eric couldn't make a decision unless his requested meeting with Kim was granted…


	5. To Forgive or Not to Forgive?

Chapter 5

"To Forgive or Not To Forgive?"

While Eric waited for his request to be made about bringing Kim for a face to face meeting, Kim was in her car driving over to the hospital where she was hoping that a visit with Ron would lighten his spirits. Little did she know however that Eric's request would soon come as quickly as possible.

Just as Kim pulled into the parking lot, her kimmunicator was beeping and she reached into her purse to answer it. To Kim, she thought that this was a last minute small mission

"What's the sitch?" she asked reaching into the phone. The response she ended up getting was something that was the last thing she wanted.

"Is this Kimberly A. Possible?" asked the voice, much to Kim's confusion.

"Um, yes," answered Kim, concernedly as she pulled into a parking spot. "May I help you?"

"This is Captain Grubbs of the Middleton Police Department," said the voice. "I have been told that the prisoner named Eric wishes to see you at the Middleton county jail at some point tonight."

Kim eyes widened at what was being said to her. Eric, the robot who only loved her just to weaken her while Drakken carried out his ultimate plan of world domination, wanted to see her. In her mind, this was the last thing that Kim wanted to do.

"Um, does he really wish to see me?" Kim asked, trying to sound polite to the police officer.

"He does wish to see you, Miss Possible," replied the officer. "If I were you, I'd honor his request as soon as possible."

Kim sat in her car for a few moments, her mind conflicted over this request. If this was her own decision, then she would have simply closed the book on Eric forever and moved on with her life. This was a guy that ruined the most important night of her life and put her true love in the hospital, among other crimes against her.

But, Kim was a human being and she was taught to always show compassion to others, even those that were against everything that she stood for.

"When does he want to see me?" Kim sighed, not believing all of this happening to her.

"He wishes to see you tonight," answered the officer. "Come before visiting hours are completed at 11:00pm."

"Tell him that I will come after I visit the boyfriend he injured," said Kim, disgustingly, but trying to sound polite to the policeman. "Thank you."

Kim shut off her kimmunicator and while rolling her eyes, got out of her car, not believing the fact that Eric was asking to meet with her. Nevertheless, she had far more important matters to attend to, such as visiting Ron, the true love of her life.

"Hey Kim, is everything all right?" asked Josh as she stormed up to the door of the hospital's waiting room. "You look like something's bothering you?"

"He wants to meet me," cried Kim, exasperatedly. "Eric wants to meet with me, Josh. I can't believe he would stoop to something like this. I mean, he made you listen to Tara screaming for mercy."

"I know," remarked Josh. "But, I can't help but wonder that perhaps, just perhaps, that even I should forgive him for what he's done. My family has always taught me to forgive others even if they do wrong to us. It's part of being a Catholic, you know."

Kim had a very hard time accepting the fact that she should forgive a man that wasn't even a man at all. Still, she had far more important matters to focus on right now, such as visiting Ron.

"Josh, I…I can't forgive him," stuttered Kim as they walked into the waiting room. "Eric ruined my first date with Ron and he ruined your date with Tara. Hell, he even forced you to listen to Tara scream for mercy while he forced himself onto her."

After checking in to the receptionist, Kim and Josh sat down as Kim let out a deep sigh. It didn't matter if Josh said that Eric should be forgiven for his actions, Eric had caused Kim to suffer a deep wound that most likely would never go away any time soon.

"Look, I know it is hard for you to accept," said Josh as he placed his hand on Kim's. "But, it's true. Why else do you think we both did eight years of CCD and one year of confirmation? We learn about these things because that is what we are supposed to learn. If there is ever a time to take in what you and I have learned, it's now."

Kim could only think of what Josh had said, but this was something that she wasn't going to accept right away. However, one thing was true, she was a Catholic and Catholics always taught the lessons of Jesus. One of the reasons why she had her Confirmation as a freshman was to spread the word of God to others. She was a soldier of God and a soldier of God needed to show compassion to others, even those who had done wrong to others.

But she wasn't going to forgive Eric, not in every sense of the word. Furthermore, as Kim had stated, Eric was a robot, devoid of any human feelings whether they be of regret or of anything else.

"Josh, it's…it's…not going to happen right away," remarked Kim, stuttering. "How would you feel if you had been forced to undress because your attacker had perverted intentions? I didn't pray because I knew that Eric never understood the meaning of forgiveness. He's a robot, Josh, lacking a human soul. If he did apologize, he would have done so now."

"Perhaps maybe visiting him will get him to reveal that he might have changed," said Josh, trying to sound optimistic. "I can be sure of that, Kim. I mean, I know of the evil acts he did, but I am trying to forgive him. Tara would probably want me to forgive him as well, you know."

Despite all of this, Kim continued to stick to her guns, but sooner or later, she would have to find it in her heart to forgive Eric for not what happened during her date, but before as well. Still, she had far more important matters to attend to, such as visiting Ron.

"Are you visiting Mr. Stoppable?" asked a nurse as Kim stood up, scratching an itch in her stocking. "

"Yes, Kim Possible," replied Kim as the nurse led her towards Ron's room while Josh watched and waited for him to be granted permission to visit his own traumatized girlfriend.

Meanwhile, back the Middleton County jail, the warden returned to Eric's cell and the synthrodrome stood up to face him.

"We have already sent in the request," said the Warden. "It will be Miss Possible's decision, but we recommended her to come tonight for your sake."

"Thanks," replied Eric. "I hope she comes soon."

The warden ignored Eric's sentimental feelings of regret for Kim and simply moved on to the other urgent matter that was hand and that was the legal proceedings.

"Have you also decided on whether or not to accept the plea deal?" asked the warden. "Be warned that you could be facing trial or even the death penalty if you don't. Think of your victims and what they have been through, especially Miss Possible."

"I still need time, sir," sighed Eric, clutching the bars of his jail cell.

"Very well," replied the warden. "But I have to warn you, the courts want your decision by midnight tonight or else they will assume you have plead not guilty and you will be given a trial, is that understood."

"Understood," said Eric as the warden raised an eyebrow and walked away. Eric was now hoping for the moment when Kim would answer his calls and he would get a chance to say his peace, thus redeeming himself of his evils…


	6. Visiting with Ron

Chapter 6

"Visiting with Ron"

Still thinking of whether or not she should visit the robot who had both betrayed and attempted to violate her, Kim was directed over to Ron's hospital room where the blonde haired boyfriend was delighted to see his red haired girlfriend again after several days. Although Kim was happy to see Ron again, the recent conversation with the police department was still fresh in Kim's mind.

"Hey Kim," said Ron as the two lovers embraced each other for a brief kiss. "Glad to see that you are doing fine. How was the last day?"

"It wasn't the same without you," replied Kim as she sat down on a chair. "Besides, Bonnie gave me a hard time after cheerleading practice today. In fact, you wouldn't believe what she wanted to know."

"I'm not exactly surprised, KP," said Ron as he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. "Bonnie is always looking for an excuse to bring attention to herself. Too bad I wasn't there to support you."

Kim noticed the pain in Ron's eyes and felt a sense of sympathy for him. Furthermore, she could only wonder if Eric had never interfered in their date to begin with, Ron wouldn't be in the hospital and she would never have been living with all this regret. But, it all happened and there was no "Doctor Who" like spell to turn back time.

"That doesn't matter now," sighed Kim. "Even if you were there, Bonnie could have made it worse for us. She was thinking that you and I had gotten together intimately or something. Our date was supposed to be perfect, Ron, and thanks to Eric, it was ruined."

"It wasn't all Eric, KP," remarked Ron. "I have to be blamed as well for ruining the date."

Kim was surprised to hear this from Ron, given the fact that Eric was the real instigator, however there was another reason and Kim could remember from when they had arrived at the theater.

"Look Ron," said Kim as she brushed out a lock of her hair that was getting in her eyes. "I don't have anything against you about your rivalry with Josh. Josh is not the kind of guy you think he was and you realized that. You know that Josh and I are better off as just friends. Furthermore, you didn't ruin the date at all. In fact, it was just getting started at the time."

Ron was relieved in a sense, for he feared that he did indeed ruin the date by his rivalry. However, like his girlfriend, he needed to blame the true instigator for their date being ruined.

"Anyways, there is something else I need to tell you about," sighed Kim, looking down at the floor for a brief moment. "The Middleton Police Department called me earlier tonight. Apparently, Eric wants to see me."

A scowling look of disapproval came onto Ron's face upon hearing the news of Eric wanting to see his girlfriend. As far as he was concerned, Eric was a synthrodrome recruited to make Kim weaken in the eyes of Dr. Drakken.

"Why would he do something like that?" remarked Ron bitterly as he felt another sharp pain in his wounded arm. "I mean, he tried to strip you down to your underwear and who knows what he was intending to do. In fact, I still wish I could have killed him."

"What good would that have been, Ron?" sighed Kim. "That would have been far worse in terms that you could have been in jail instead of Eric. Believe me, I don't want to visit Eric but I can't turn my back on him, despite all he had done."

"Kim, I don't want you seeing him, even if he is behind prison walls," ordered Ron, trying to sound like the protective boyfriend he was. "Who knows what he is trying to do? For that matter, he might be pulling off a trap or something."

Rufus nodded in agreement with Ron and all Kim could do was sigh. Yes, Eric requested only her to visit him and nobody else. But, she was a compassionate human being and needed to heed to Eric's request.

"I highly doubt that he would," said Kim. "I don't want to visit him either, Ron. In fact, I still can feel his breath on me when he tore the left strap of my dress."

To illustrate her point, Kim leaned forward and showed the newly repaired strap to Ron.

"And I can still feel the pain of the knife that went into my shoulder," said Ron, his spine shuddering. "The pain will go away, but the fear of what happened won't. Who knows what that synthrodrome was planning to do had I not intervened?"

"I don't even want to find out," replied Kim. "But, I can't help but think of what Tara is going through right now."

As Kim spoke, both she and Ron could hear the loud sobs coming from Tara's room right down the hall. Both Kim and Ron were guessing that Tara was either suffering from PTSD or was happy just to see Josh again.

"Can you listen to those cries, Ron?" whispered Kim as she got up and walked towards the door of Ron's hospital room. "Those are the cries that only a person who is mentally wounded can make. I could have been like Tara, but I wasn't going to give in that easily, Ron. When Eric forced me to take this dress off, I wasn't going to listen because that's not who I am."

Tara's loud cries went down a little bit, but they were still loud enough to be heard from down the hall.

"As I said," continued Kim as she walked back down to the chair, sitting down next to Ron. "Whatever Eric was planning to do to me, he didn't succeed because you were there Ron. You were the one who took him on, even though you paid a heavy price with your arm and all. Tara didn't have that protection because Josh was taken out so easily."

"So, what are you going to do now?" asked Ron. "Are you still planning on going to the prison, face Eric and admonish him for all of what he did to us?"

"Yes," answered Kim, firmly. "He needs to understand that I may have been the target, but Tara is the true victim here. Yes, our date was ruined, but so was Josh and Tara's and I always look out for a fellow cheerleader, just as we look out for each other on missions."

Ron smiled as Kim said those words. To him, it was a way of Kim to say that both she and Ron were much more than just a couple of friends. They truly loved one another just as Tara and Josh did.

Looking up at the clock, Kim knew that visiting hours were almost over and she still needed to get over to the prison.

"Listen," said Kim as she flung her purse on her shoulder. "I need to go down and face Eric. Can't wait to see you home soon. I love you, Ron."

So, Kim and Ron kissed one another goodbye and soon, Kim was on her way to her car. As she walked, she walked past Tara's room where Josh was holding Tara in his arms. A look of pain came on Kim's face knowing now that Tara may never fully recover from something such as this.

"All right Eric," sighed Kim as she got into her car and drove away from the hospital. "You wanted to request a meeting with me, then you've got it."


	7. Face to Face with Eric

Chapter 7

"Face to Face with Eric"

Eric nervously sat in his cell with only his thoughts for company. He knew that his request to face Kim once again and apologize for what he did was up in the air. However, he heard the sounds of footsteps coming towards his cell meaning that there was news regarding his request that was about to be honored.

"Miss Possible has arrived," said the warden as two guards opened the doors to Eric's cell. "You will be placed in front of a glass screen so as not to have any physical contact."

"I do not intend to have physical contact," answered Eric as the two guards pulled him up to his feet. "She has suffered enough, sir."

"See that you stand by your words, prisoner," replied the warden, motioning to the guards to begin moving him. "Take him."

So, the guards escorted Eric through the halls of the prison as the synthrodrome tried to dig deep into his data banks to come up with the words to say to Kim. The short walk felt like an eternity for Eric, every single second and every single minute going slower and slower with each step he took. Finally, he was led into a room with a glass barrier and on the other side was Kim, wearing the same sleeveless blue dress she wore on her first date, her green eyes locked on him like a target as he was sat down in front of her.

Kim then picked up the receiver to speak to Eric as Eric took in a deep sigh, hoping that Kim would find it in her heart to forgive him for what he had done. But it wasn't going to be easy.

"I hope you have a very good reason for requesting me to come here," said Kim, her voice filled with pain and anger. "Do you understand of what you have done, Eric? Do you understand that you used me to get Drakken what he wanted?"

"I do understand, Kim," said Eric sadly. "All I want is for you to understand that I was only following orders…"

"Where have I heard that before?" remarked Kim, rolling her eyes in disgust. "Eric, when I first met you, I thought of you as someone who was supportive, someone that I thought would share the rest of my life with. You were even my prom date for crying out loud!"

Kim felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she spoke those words, making Eric see the pain that his ex-girlfriend was feeling.

"Eric," cried Kim, her right hand fiddling with the red pendant around her neck. "Do you know how important the junior/senior prom is? Well, do you?"

"I was told about it by Dr. Drakken," answered Eric. "He told me that it was a night where young people celebrate the last few nights of freedom…"

"…which was not the case," interrupted Kim, slamming her hand on the table. "I was not the only one affected, Eric! Everyone who attended the prom had their nights, the most important night of their lives ruined because of you!"

Eric felt shocked at such an accusation and honestly thought that Kim was downright lying to him. As far as he was concerned, it was only Kim that was to be the target of Drakken's attack, not anyone else.

"Kim, you can't blame me for everything!" protested Eric, attempting to rise to his feet only to be forced backed down by the guards. "I know what I did was wrong, but you have to believe me that I didn't act alone!"

"It's too late, Eric!" cried Kim, tears strolling down her face as she spoke. "You caused internal damages to several people other than myself that will NEVER be repaired! I was a fool to believe that I could love you as a boyfriend, Eric! When I step out of here, tonight, I want you out of my life forever!"

With those words, Eric felt another feeling go through his system. For the first time since he was activated, he felt raw human emotion go through his body, an emotion that will never leave him

"Kim, please," cried Eric. "All I ask of you is to accept that I am sorry! I know we can't reconcile before I did all that I had done, but I want you to forgive me!"

"No Eric," sighed Kim, struggling to hold back her emotions. "I cannot forgive someone who did more than just betray me. You took all of your frustrations, all of your pent up feelings of Drakken's failed plot on an innocent young girl like me who had NOTHING to do with you and Drakken! Do you understand of the emotional scars that Tara has because of you? You shouldn't just be apologizing to me, Eric! You should be apologizing to Tara, to Josh and especially to Ron! This was meant to be our first real date together and you ruined everything!"

Kim then motioned for the police officer next to her that she was just about done with this conversation. All she wanted to do at this point was to go away and cry out all of the anger that was built up inside of her. Eric was left stunned and speechless that he had been denied the only chance he had to apologize to Kim for what he had done to her.

"Kim please, wait!" cried Eric as she got to her feet and grabbed her purse. "Please, I'm sorry! Don't leave!"

But, Kim wasn't listening and certainly did not want to hear about it. She was done with Eric and there was nothing that he could do to change her mind.

"Goodbye Synthrodrome 901, forever," Kim said icily as she walked out the door leaving Eric crestfallen, all of the positive energy that he had been given thanks to Drakken was gone from his body.

As soon as Kim had disappeared, Eric was escorted back to his cell and there was no question in his mind that there was nothing left for him to live for anymore. He needed to take the easy way out and the only way to do so was to stab his synthrodrome heart. Looking at a sharp metal object that was pointed, Eric picked up the object and aimed it directly at his chest.

All of the memories that Eric had from the time he was activated right up until his final conversation with Kim that ended in heartbreak and rejection were playing before his eyes.

"KIM!" Eric screamed as he stuck the object into his chest, piercing the heart and causing green fluid to spill out of his body and onto the cell floor. With the heart fatally damaged, Eric drew his final gasping breaths as his limp body fell backwards to the floor below.

It was over…Eric, known as Synthrodrome 901 was dead out of rejection and dead of a broken heart all caused by his own doing. However, the repercussions of his suicide would soon be felt…


	8. Emotional Break Down

Chapter 8

"Emotional Breakdown"

Instead of leaving for home right away, Kim just sat in the driver's seat of her car, her emotions starting to get the better of her. She couldn't turn the ignition to start the engine, all she could do was just sit there with a blank stare on her face. Part of her wanted to take back what she had said to Eric, but she couldn't. For the first time in her life, Kim began to wonder if maybe she was a little bit TOO hard on Eric.

"Calm down, Kimberly Anne," she whispered to herself, trying to take several deep breaths. "Eric is out of your life for good. You should move on, there is too much to look forward to for you to be so despondent."

For 10 good minutes, Kim continued to repeat these words over and over again, trying to get the thoughts of her actions out of her head. She looked at the time on her car dashboard. It was almost 10:00pm, so she had to leave now. However, just as she began to turn the engine on, a long black car came into the parking lot and backed into a back door.

"What's going on?" thought Kim as she got out to investigate. The door to the car opened and a man in a black suit came out, walking over to the back door of the car. Kim's heart sank when she saw that the car was a hearse from a nearby funeral home. Kim's eyes widened upon realizing that the person who had recently died was possibly Eric. "No, no, I can't believe that. Eric wouldn't, he couldn't."

Running over to the scene, Kim was met with a shocking sight that shimmered before her…the sight of green liquid dripping from the body bag. It was at this moment Kim dashed back to her car, locked herself inside and broke down sobbing like crazy.

"Eric, why did you do that?" sobbed Kim, loudly, banging her hands on the dashboard. "You didn't have to kill yourself! Why? Why?"

Of course, Kim assumed that Eric had committed suicide. The words she said to him were cold and cruel, but it was for a good reason after all. He committed an act of attempted rape and possibly even murder. Just then, her kimmunicator start beeping, but Kim didn't feel like answering. She was so emotionally broken, that she could even speak. Nevertheless, she reached for her purse and still sobbing, attempted to answer whoever was on the other line.

"What's…the…sitch?" sobbed Kim.

"Kimmie, what's wrong?" cried Mrs. Dr. Possible. "Your father and I are starting to get worried. Are you all right?"

"It's Eric, mom," cried Kim through ragged breaths. "I said what I had said and he…supposedly killed himself! He didn't have to die!"

As Kim sobbed while speaking, both of her parents could see that something was terribly wrong with their daughter. From what they were thinking, they thought that Kim had gotten into a really bad accident or something. But, that was of course, not the case.

"Listen, Kimmie, where are you right now?" asked Mrs. Dr. Possible. "We'll come and get you ourselves and bring you home."

"I'm at the Middleton prison, mom," continued Kim, her eyes stained with tears. "I saw Eric's body being carried out. I wish now I didn't have to be so hard on him."

"Just hold on, Kimmie cub," interrupted Mr. Dr. Possible, snatching the phone away from his wife. "We will be right there to get you."

Almost immediately, the two doctor parents of Kim Possible got into their car and raced off towards the prison. It didn't matter if there were other drivers on the road, their daughter was in distress and they needed to get to her side. About 10 minutes later, they arrived in the police station and saw Kim crying hysterically inside her car. Mrs. Dr. Possible ran over to her daughter's car and banged on the window to get Kim to come out. Kim didn't hesitate to open the door and throw herself into her mother's arms.

"Shhh….shhh…it's okay, Kim, it's okay," soothed Mrs. Dr. Possible. "We've got you, we've got you."

"Mom, it was awful of what I said to Eric," cried Kim, her eyes blood red from crying. "He didn't have to kill himself!"

"Honey, are you sure he killed himself?" asked Mr. Dr. Possible, joining his daughter and his wife.

"I'm sure of it, dad!" shrieked Kim. "I wanted him to live with the guilt for the rest of his life and hopefully one day, he can realize what he did was unforgiveable!"

At that moment, Mr. Dr. Possible made his way over to where the hearse was and approached the prison warden who was talking to the undertaker.

"Excuse me," asked Mr. Dr. Possible, catching the attention of both the warden and the undertaker. "My daughter is over here sobbing over the fact that something happened about Eric committing suicide. Is this true?"

The warden took off his glasses and rubbed his sinuses before placing his glasses back on. Mr. Dr. Possible could see that the grim look on the warden's face was a tell-tale sign that something was terribly wrong.

"The prisoner in question was found in his cell earlier tonight," explained the warden. "A self infliction stab into the chest. There was a green oil spill all over the floor where the body was found."

Mr. Dr. Possible couldn't believe it. Up until this moment, Middleton Prison had a very good record of keeping their prisoners alive. Something had gone wrong and was looking to get more information, for the sake of his current emotionally unstable daughter.

"Are you ruling it a suicide?" he asked the warden.

"We are not sure at this time," answered the warden. "But, it's most likely that it was indeed a suicide, sir. If it is a suicide, then he seemingly died of a broken heart. Who knows what was going through the synthrodrome's mind after your daughter left?"

Mr. Dr. Possible could tell that the warden was looking to place part of the blame of what had happened to Eric on Kim. This was something that he was not going to tolerate at any time. Mr. Dr. Possible was a highly protective father and was going to do everything in his power to keep his daughter protected.

"I am not having my daughter personally answer these questions," cried Mr. Dr. Possible. "She has been through enough, her boyfriend has been through enough, we have all been through enough. So any question you want asked, ask our lawyer. Is that understood?"

The warden stayed silent as Mr. Dr. Possible walked away back towards his daughter and wife. There was no reason for Kim to endure this nightmare any longer and it showed. The Possible's were exhausted, they needed to return home. Kim was an emotional wreck who needed a good night's sleep.

"James, why does our Kimmie cub have to go through this?" wondered Mrs. Dr. Possible as Kim fell asleep from exhaustion as a result of her hard crying while they drove home with Kim's car attached to the back of their car.

"You know, Anne?" remarked James, as he looked in the rear view mirror of his car. "I don't know. I just don't know, but I will say this. This is a nightmare that needs to stop and stop right now. But, I just don't know if this is only the beginning of something much larger."

Little did the Possible's know that everything would be answered and healed in due time…


	9. Interrogating Drakken

Chapter 9

"Interrogating Drakken"

For the first time since she was a small child, Kim had to be carried up to her bedroom as a result from crying so hard. It didn't matter if Eric was a robot, it didn't matter if he had come back for revenge, no one deserved to die after something like this.

When Kim awoke the following morning, she found herself in her bed clad only in her bra and panties. Her sleeveless blue dress was found lying on the floor and her stockings were not too far close by. Her black dress sandals were tossed in a far left hand corner close to one of her bedroom windows.

"Did I really cry myself to sleep?" Kim thought to herself as she yawned and climbed out of bed. "If I did, then that's a first for me. Well, at least Ron comes home today."

After throwing on a red t shirt and a pair of sweat pants, Kim made her way down to the kitchen and sat down while still yawning.

"How are you feeling this morning, Kim?" asked Mrs. Dr. Possible as she leaned over to kiss her daughter on the forehead. "Your father and I were worried about you last night."

"I'm sorry if I did worry you," sighed Kim, taking a sip of the glass of orange juice that had been poured for her. "It's just that Eric…did I really force him to take his own life?"

"Now, let's not jump to conclusions, Kimmie," advised Mr. Dr. Possible. "The police are conducting their own investigation. I can assure you that you had nothing to deal with what happened to Eric."

Kim was too tired to react to her father's advisement. But, she knew that Eric was dead because of her in a way. All Kim could wonder was if she was perhaps too hard on him? Sure, she was very angry for what he did to Josh, Ron, Tara and herself, but for Eric to take his own life was completely out of left field.

"Eric was a synthrodrome, honey," said Mrs. Dr. Possible. "He's only a robot and robots can be repaired."

"He'll never be repaired, mom," remarked Kim. "Something occurred inside of him and I just can't figure out what it is. What I do know is that he had been injected with human feelings. I'm even starting to wonder if Drakken had anything to do with this."

"Kimmie, let the police handle this," sighed Mr. Dr. Possible. "You've been through enough drama already to last a lifetime. In fact, your mother and I were thinking that maybe you could visit Father Thomas and talk to him about what you feel?"

Kim sighed in an exhausted expression and knew that talking to a priest was her only option. Perhaps talking with a man of God was the best option she had right now and there was no other to back it up. However, she had far more important matters to attend to, such as Ron coming home from the hospital along with Tara.

So, while Kim made plans to see Ron after he was released along with contemplating whether or not to visit a priest, Dr. Drakken was undergoing some tough questioning at the prison because of the investigation surrounding Eric's suicide.

"Why would you ask me if I had anything to do with that synthrodrome's death?" remarked Dr. Drakken as several detectives eyeballed him in the interrogation room. "Are you saying that I told him to kill himself or something? I plan world dominations, not murders."

"Well, we have evidence that says otherwise," glared a police detective. "The funeral home called us and said that they had found a strange device in the body of the deceased that was placed in there by you!"

"The synthrodrome did it by himself," protested Dr. Drakken. "Are you saying that I told Eric to kill himself if my plans failed? I would never do something like that!"

The detectives knew that Drakken was lying and no matter what he said would make them change their minds.

"Then, how did the object that the prisoner used to commit suicide end up in his cell?" asked another detective showing Drakken a picture of the green oil stained sharp object that Eric used to kill himself. "It didn't just end up out of nowhere, Drakken. Which reminds us, where were you two nights ago?"

"In my cell like I was supposed to," cried Drakken. "Are you telling me that as a regular here that I broke the rules?"

"You know your way around this prison, Drakken," said the warden as he walked into the room. "And given your history of frequent escapes using certain tools, there is no question in our minds that we believe that you are partly to blame for what happened. So, if I were you, I'd start talking or else we have ways to make you talk."

"If you don't want to talk," said a detective as he pushed a paper and pen over to Drakken. "Then you will go back to your cell and tell us in writing."

Dr. Drakken was led to back to his cell and set about carrying out the orders that were given to him, much to his reluctance. He knew that what he did to Eric was for his own good. To Drakken, Eric was a foot soldier only meant to serve him and the only feelings that Eric was supposed to have for Kim was meant to weaken her while he carried out his ultimate plan.

Later that afternoon, the warden returned and stood outside of Drakken's cell, waiting for the caged scientist to give out his entire testimony.

"Well?" asked the warden, extending his hand through the bars of Drakken's cell. "Where is it? Have you written your statement?"

Drakken knew that he didn't write the whole story in its truth. Nevertheless, he did complete the writing and handed it to the warden. After skimming through it, the warden handed the paper back to Drakken with a look of disgust on his face.

"Are you kidding me?" groaned Drakken. "Are you telling me that you don't believe a word that I said? I'm telling you the whole truth, pal!"

"I know that you are still lying," remarked the warden, clearly not joking around with Drakken. "You are hiding something, Drakken and I will not rest until I get a clear answer. If I find out that you are eventually lying on purpose, then I will have no choice but to charge you with assisted murder. How would you like that? You could go on trial and even be challenged with the death penalty."

The sounds of being threatened with the death penalty clearly got through to Drakken and he clearly set about taking another piece of paper and telling the entire truth, knowing that he was getting himself into more and more trouble.

Meanwhile, Kim made her way back towards the hospital to join Josh and see Ron and Tara walk out as discharged patients…


	10. Ron Comes Home

Chapter 10

"Ron Comes Home"

Kim drove over to Middleton Hospital still having the events of the previous night fresh on her mind. But, that was not important right now. What was important was seeing Ron walk out of the hospital and starting the first step in the road to recovery. At the same time, Josh was also at the hospital, eager to help Tara out as well. Once Kim arrived, she met Josh in the waiting room. Both Ron's family and Tara's family were also there, but they were with their children, who would soon be discharged.

"Glad you got here, Kim," remarked Josh as Kim sat down next to him. "They'll be out any minute. Can't wait to see Tara come out."

"I can't wait to see Ron come out," added Kim. "It will be nice for him to be out of the hospital."

Josh then noticed that Kim had a really distressed look on her face and up until this moment, he didn't know of what had happened to the individual who attacked them all. Before Josh could question her, Kim decided to come clean.

"Hey Josh, something happened last night at the prison concerning Eric," she said. "He…committed suicide last night."

Josh's eyes widened upon hearing this, but he wasn't surprised either. All he could think of was that Eric had taken the easy way out, not wanting to face the consequences of his actions.

"I'm not surprised," sighed Josh, bitterly. "He didn't have any guts to survive jail, Kim. Well, he can just rot in hell for all I care."

"It's not just that, Josh," explained Kim, looking over at him. "I went to the prison and admonished Eric for what he did. He tried to apologize, but it was too late for him. When I saw the hearse, I…I knew that I convinced him to kill himself."

Josh placed a hand on his ex-girlfriend's hand in a tender manner. As far as Josh was concerned, Kim was only at the prison to say her peace to Eric and basically told him to get out of her life forever.

"Kim, you didn't force him to commit suicide," said Josh, in a comforting voice. "He was a weasel and a coward who wanted power over anyone, including us. If I were you, I'd try to get him out of your mind."

Kim knew that was easier said than done. She couldn't get the events of what happened in the park out of her mind, no matter how hard she tried. In fact, she could still feel the breath of the synthrodrome pouring down on her from Eric's mouth. The sounds of Eric ripping the left strap of her dress continued to play like an endless record. No, she couldn't get this out of her mind.

But, the thoughts didn't last very long as Kim saw the love of her life being escorted out of his hospital room, his wounded arm clad in a sling. Rising up, Kim rushed over to hug Ron, but had to be careful with the injured arm.

"Kim, careful," winced Ron as Kim backed away. "The arm…it hurts!"

"Sorry," replied Kim, backing away. "I'm just glad to see you out of the hospital."

"Me too," remarked Ron, taking in a deep sigh. "It still kind of sucks that I have to be in a sling, though. Not to mention physical therapy as well."

"You'll get through this," chuckled Kim as they all walked out of the hospital. "I'll be there by your side while you are getting it done."

Ron smiled at this and kissed Kim on the cheek. However, Kim couldn't help but notice that Tara was still very much frightened. It had been several days since Eric's assault in the park and Kim felt as if Tara's road to recovery was going be much longer than Ron's.

"Poor Tara," whispered Kim with remorse and worry in her voice as Tara stayed looking down at the ground while she walked with Josh and her family. "I can only imagine what is going through her mind as well as my own."

"What do you mean?" asked Ron and Kim pulled Ron behind a nearby tree, much to the confusion of the Stoppable family. But, knowing that it was a private matter, they left Ron and Kim alone.

"Ron, there is something important I need to tell you," whispered Kim, talking in a low voice so that no one else could hear them. "Eric committed suicide last night."

Kim was expecting Ron to show a sense of shock to what she had told him, but to her surprise, Ron didn't show any shock at all.

"Well, that's one less person to worry about," retorted Ron. "If he even was a person to begin with, Kim. Guess he couldn't handle being inside a real life prison."

"There is something else," added Kim. "Something that I need to ask of you, Ron. I mean, I know you are not Catholic, but, do you think I convinced Eric to kill himself?"

Ron's eyes widened at this, surprised that Kim would even say such a thing. As far as he was concerned, Eric was a piece of lowlife scum that didn't even deserve to live, whether he was a human or a synthrodrome.

"I had to face him because he was expecting me to forgive him for what he did," replied Kim, quietly. "But, I didn't forgive him."

"But, what does that have to do with why we are talking behind a tree?" asked Ron. "Don't you think that everyone deserves to know the whole truth?"

"Some things are meant to be private, Ron," replied Kim. "But, what am I asking you is…what do you do when you are deeply conflicted with your thoughts?"

"Well, I usually go visit my synagogue's rabbi," answered Ron. "Perhaps maybe you should consider seeing your priest or whatever his name is."

Kim could see that Ron had the same answer as her parents. She knew that they were all right about her visiting someone from a higher power. It was the only way for her to confront the demons that had been plaguing her mind.

"Now, can we go so I can get back home?" asked Ron as Kim led him away from their hiding spot. "I need to take a nice, warm shower."

"Yes, of course, Ron," chuckled Kim, now realizing that she needed to do what needed to be done.

Fortunately, Kim would get her chance to visit the house of God and answer all of her questions the very next day at Sunday mass over at her church…


	11. A Visit with God, Part 1

Chapter 11

"A Visit with God, Part 1"

Kim was happy that Ron was back home from the hospital, but she was still very much troubled at the fact that possibly caused Eric to kill himself. She spent the remainder of the night once again lying in bed wide awake. This time, however, Kim was contemplating on what she would say to Father Thomas. After all, the Possible's were devout Catholics and thus, were very good friends with their priest.

As the sun came up over Middleton, Kim showered and once again put on her sleeveless navy blue dress, tan stockings and black dress sandals. It wasn't until she was putting on some of her makeup at her vanity did Kim hear a voice that was very much similar to Eric's.

"Kim, why?" asked a ghostly voice causing her to gasp loudly. "Why didn't you forgive me for what I had done? Why?"

"Who's there?" cried Kim, rising to her feet. "Come out, whoever you are!"

Kim gasped and panted for a few more moments and then after a while, the voice fell silent and she returned to applying her makeup.

"It's nothing, nothing at all," Kim whispered to herself as she once again went to work applying her makeup. "Maybe I'm just seeing things, who knows? Another thing to talk to Father Thomas about."

Soon, Kim finished getting ready and joined her family downstairs before making their way over to St. Mary's church, which was down the street. Once mass had concluded, Kim approached Father Thomas's private chambers and with her family visiting with fellow parishioners, she was left alone to speak to the priest.

"Ah, Kimberly," said Father Thomas, as he emerged from behind the door of his chambers. "Do come in, I've been meaning to speak to you."

Kim took in a deep breath and did a sign of the cross as she walked into the chambers. Once inside, Kim sat down and scratched her stocking clad leg nervously as Father Thomas sat down behind his desk.

"You are in God's house, Kimberly," remarked Father Thomas, warmly. "Don't be afraid at all."

"I know, I know," sighed Kim, nervously. "It's just that everything had happened so fast that I can't keep track of it. I mean…have you ever felt, I don't know how to say this, but it's the best I could think of? Have you ever felt used by someone?"

"Well, Kimberly, I myself have never even been married or fell in love," said Father Thomas. "However, I have heard stories where people have said to me that they have been used. We all make mistakes in life and when we do make mistakes, we have to learn from them. What your parents told me was that you are regretting something concerning a man who attacked you and your friends, am I right?"

"He wasn't a man, Father Thomas," replied Kim, her left clutching the red pendant that was around her neck. "He was a cyborg, a robot. More appropriately known as a synthrodrome and he only came into my life for one purpose and that was to weaken me."

"Weaken you?" wondered Father Thomas, his eyes widening in shock. "Why in the world would he want to do something like that?"

Before Kim could answer, the ghostly voice sounded again and Kim knew that it was Eric's ghostly voice once again begging her to answer why he didn't forgive her. But, Kim ignored the pleas and instead focused on answering Father Thomas' question.

"He was doing it for my archenemy, Dr. Drakken," answered Kim. "He had a plan for world domination and Drakken didn't want me to get in the way of it. So, he sent synthrodrome 901 to keep me occupied. If I had known he was working for Drakken, I'd…"

"It's not your fault, Kimberly," said Father Thomas. "How would you have known if he had been using you?"

"I wouldn't have known, Father," cried Kim. "He acted in a way that made me think he was the right one for me. Eric even said that I should wear the dress I wore to my junior prom. I spent so much money on it just to wear for him and now…"

Kim couldn't finish her sentence and let out a deep sigh while also lowering her head in shame and disbelief. Normally, she felt like crying, but she couldn't. Kim had done enough crying already and besides, the true love of her life was out of the hospital.

"It's just a dress, Kimberly," said Father Thomas. "I know it holds memories of great importance to you, but was there another time when you wore it for something positive?"

"You mean, when Ron and I were together?" remarked Kim. "That same night after Eric was drained of his green oil and Drakken was defeated and sent to jail? He, well, we returned and I was wearing my prom dress when he kissed me. That's when I knew that Ron was the one for me, Father. I knew that we needed to go on our first date as a couple and it would be the most perfect night of our young lives."

As Kim spoke, Father Thomas was writing down what Kim had said in an effort to take note of what she was saying.

"But, we were partially going because the whole school was talking about it," continued Kim. "Ron was thinking the same thing, so we went to the screening of our favorite childhood film, Fantasia. Everything was perfect until Eric came in and ruined everything."

"Now, if you don't mind my asking," said Father Thomas, knowing that he was crossing into personal territories. "What was Eric intending to do?"

Kim was very much hestitant of being asked this question, however she needed to answer the priest's question. He couldn't help her if she didn't reveal the entire truth to Father Thomas and there was no better time than now to receive that help.

"He wanted revenge, father," answered Kim, solemnly. "Revenge not because I turned my back on him, but because Drakken's plot was foiled. While Ron and I were taking a midnight stroll in the park, I heard a scream that came from one of my friends, who was also out on her date with my first love and good friend, Joshua Mankey."

"Yes, go on," said Father Thomas.

"So, I told Ron to get help while I went to investigate," continued Kim. "And once I found out it was Eric, I couldn't believe what he was doing. I learned that he had raped Tara and was planning to attack me. So, he forced me to take off my dress and I wasn't going to let him succeed."

Father Thomas' mouth dropped when he heard this. He couldn't believe that Kim went through such horror. What Eric was nothing short of an intrusive crime against God and had Eric been born human and committed such a crime, there would be no doubt in Father Thomas' mind that he would have been excommunicated.

"Oh, Kimberly," gasped Father Thomas, reaching over and grabbing her hand tightly. "I am so, so sorry that had to have happened. But, didn't you do anything about it?"

"Of course I did, Father," replied Kim. "I fought back and he tried to kill me, but I managed to dislodge the gun before he could carry out doing me in. Then, he overpowered me and attempted to strip me himself."

Kim then felt herself needing to stop and contemplate her thoughts. Fortunately, Father Thomas noticed and agreed that they needed to take a break for Kim to collect her thoughts.

"Father," asked Kim. "May I be excused for a moment?"

"Of course, Kimberly," answered Father Thomas and Kim got up and left Father Thomas' quarters, stepping outside of the church. She needed a moment to gather herself in the fresh warm air before saying another word.

While Kim attempted to gather herself, she saw a strange figure standing not far from her. The figure was dressed in red and had a huge hole in the area where he heart once was. Kim gasped upon seeing the familiarity of the figure.

"Eric?" she cried. "What do you want with me?"

"I want you to accept my apology," cried the ghost. "Please, I beg of you, Kim, I am sorry for what I have done to you and your friends."

Kim was now in a conflicting situation: she was now torn between accepting the apology of the robot who tried to destroy her and Ron on sacred ground or turning Eric away for good and going against everything she had been taught as a Catholic…


	12. A Visit with God, Part 2

Chapter 12

"A Visit with God, Part 2"

"Why should I forgive you?" Kim asked angrily as she stared at Eric's ghost. "Do you understand why I can't forgive you, Eric? You tried to destroy me and my friends all to support Drakken's conquest! This is going far beyond a relationship that I had to break up, you know?"

"Look Kim, all I ever wanted to please Dr. Drakken," protested the ghost. "You must see why I had to betray you."

A strong gust of wind blew through Kim as she could only stand there and scowl at Eric's ghost. No matter how hard he tried, Eric's ghost could not get through to Kim, despite the fact that they were in the presence of God himself.

"You didn't betray me, Eric," cried Kim. "You betrayed yourself, luring me to a trap when I thought you were in mortal danger! Then, you did the same thing to me again, only this time it was far more deadly than the last time and far worse than any enemy I have ever taken on!"

It was at that moment that another even stronger gust of wind blew at Kim, nearly knocking her to the ground. The weather was not causing these strong gusts of wind, it was clearly an act from God himself, trying to get Kim to accept Eric's apology.

"Do you feel those winds, Kim?" asked Eric's ghost, his voice showing that he was begging for mercy. "That's God admonishing you for not accepting my apology! I feel ashamed for what I have done to you, Kim and God was fortunate enough to listen to what I had to say."

Kim was now beginning to understand that what she was doing was wrong. Eric's ghost was doing everything in his power to get her to see that grudges are never the answer. After all, when Kim went through CCD, she was taught that she had to always forgive her enemies.

"Look, I don't know what else I can do to get you to see why I am regretful of my actions," cried Eric's ghost. "Please, Kim, I don't have any other way to get through to you! I know what I did was wrong, but one day, just for one day, please understand what I did was wrong!"

At that moment, Eric's ghost suddenly disappeared without any more thoughts or reactions from Kim. Now, Kim was left to think about what Eric's ghost was begging her to do as she went back into Father Thomas' chambers.

"Father, there's something I need to tell you," said Kim as she sat back down. "I had an encounter with a ghost. And not just any ghost, the ghost of the man who attacked me."

Hearing this valuable information, Father Thomas listened intently to what Kim had to say. It was very common for priests like Father Thomas to understand that there were spirits that often times come from beyond the grave.

"Well, this is very uncommon to me, Kimberly," said Father Thomas. "What did the ghost have to say?"

"He was still begging me to forgive him for his actions," replied Kim. "I could tell he was exasperated, father. He told me that there was nothing he could do to make me realize that he could be forgiven."

Father Thomas took in this and knew that Kim had to let go of this grudge eventually. However, he had an idea of what to say.

"Kimberly," sighed Father Thomas, sitting back in his chair, thinking and contemplating as he spoke. "I'm going to tell you something that you most likely learned during your period of religious education. Jesus always taught us that we should forgive our enemies. After all, he did forgive those who crucified him on the cross."

"But father, what happened was not a crucifixion," said Kim. "This was rape, attempted rape and murder that happened here. My boyfriend had his arm stabbed and one of the friendliest cheerleaders on my squad is dealing with being violated. Why should I forgive someone who does those acts?"

"Because that is how Jesus taught us," answered Father Thomas, listening intently. "It's not always easy, but that is what he said. But, I will say this."

Kim was reluctant to think of what Father Thomas had to say. She couldn't forgive Eric so easily and if she would find it in her heart to forgive Eric, it wouldn't be right away and Father Thomas took note.

"You don't have to forgive your attacker right away," continued Father Thomas as he took a sip of coffee. "These things take time, Kimberly. But, I urge you to focus your energies on helping your boyfriend and your fellow cheerleader. Perhaps by helping them recover from their injuries, you will see that there is a chance that you can forgive the one who attacked you all. If you find yourself struggling, look deep inside your heart and talk to Jesus. He can help you, Kimberly, if you just listen to him."

Kim sighed and even though it wasn't the answers she was looking for, it was the best that she could do. Jesus was always big in her family and whenever she was in desperate situations, Kim would always turn to him for support.

"I can tell you what though," said Father Thomas as both he and Kim rose to their feet. "You are more than welcome to come here and talk to me for any advice you are seeking. God's doors are always open to anyone, whether they are part of the flock or not."

Kim hugged Father Thomas upon hearing this and after saying a brief goodbye, left Father Thomas' chambers and headed out of the church to join her family. As they left the church, the Kimmunicator buzzed and it was Ron sending her a text.

"Hey guys," Kim said to her parents as they drove to their usual Sunday Brunch in the center of Middleton. "Ron wants me to meet him later on today. Would it be okay if I see him later?"

"Sure, Kimmie," said Mrs. Dr. Possible. "But, just be sure to be back by 8:30, if that is all right with you."

"Thanks, guys," remarked Kim, happily who then sent a reply text to Ron to say that she could meet him. When Kim asked Ron where they were to meet, a very familiar place was brought up. "He wants me to meet him at Middleton Park. Why do you think?"

Her parents didn't have any answer, but Kim was beginning to sense that Ron was wanting to finish their date off on a high note. To Ron, it didn't matter if they were meeting at Middleton Park, Kim guessed that he wanted to finish what they had started on their date before Eric ruined everything…


	13. Finishing Off the Date

Chapter 13

"Finishing Off the Date"

Following her visit with God at her family's church, Kim spent the day attending her family's Sunday Brunch and then visiting with her Grandmother, Nana Possible. Once sunset had fallen on Middleton, Kim drove over to Middleton Park where she saw Ron's scooter parked against a tree.

"He must be waiting for me," thought Kim as she got out of her car. "I hope I didn't keep him waiting for too long."

Once Kim brushed down her blue dress, she grabbed her purse and made her way into the park, searching for Ron. It felt strange to be back in the place where she had her final confrontation with Synthrodrome 901, the robot who betrayed her at a moment when Kim was needed for support.

As a matter of fact, Kim walked past the small shack where Eric and Kim fought. Seeing the shack again caused Kim to think back to that moment when Eric tore away her inexpensive red pendant and tore the left strap of her dress. She could still hear the ripping sound of her dress still being heard like a broken record.

"Hey Kim!" called a voice and Kim turned to see Ron calling out for her to meet him. Ron was dressed in a nice light blue shirt, khakis and a red necktie which made Kim smile warmly. She knew that Ron wanted to finish their date and the outfit he had chosen was much more downgraded from the black tuxedo he had worn that fateful night. His right arm was still in a sling, but it didn't matter to Kim. "I was thinking you weren't going to get here. I guess we match in color, don't we?"

"I guess you are right," she chuckled as Ron led her over to the bench where they had sat on their date. "How are you feeling?"

Ron and Kim both sat down on the bench and looked out over the pond where the sun's rays reflected on the water. The setting was right for both of them and there would be no intrusion of any kind tonight.

"The arm is going to still be in pain," remarked Ron, wincing slightly. "I've got physical therapy for the next few weeks, which is going to be a bummer. I didn't really plan for all of this, Kim."

"Neither did me, Ron," sighed Kim as she bent down to scratch her stocking clad right leg. "The past few days have been somewhat a challenge for both of us in a way."

"You're right, Kim," replied Ron. "For a moment, I thought you would be stripped of everything you worked so hard for because of Eric. I couldn't risk seeing you go through that torture, even if it meant Eric would kill me."

Kim gasped at those words spoken by her boyfriend. She couldn't bear the thought of Ron possibly being killed that fateful night, but for a moment, there was that though of Ron possibly being stabbed to death. Thankfully, that didn't happen and Kim had to have been thankful for that.

"Why would you say that, Ron?" remarked Kim, shockingly. "Don't ever say things like that, again!"

"Hey, I'm just telling it like it is, Kim," replied Ron, backing away slightly. "In fact now that we are an item, do you think we might face perilous situations like with Eric?"

While Kim searched inside herself for an answer, Ron couldn't help but notice how beautiful Kim looked. Yes, she looked beautiful on their first date when they saw their childhood classic on the big screen, but there was something about how Kim looked in the sleeveless navy blue dress that made him feel at ease.

"You know what, Ron?" said Kim after a few moments, looking over towards her boyfriend. "That really doesn't matter at this point. We will face perilous situations in the future. Hell, I wouldn't even be surprised if we face something big before we graduate from high school."

Ron didn't want to think that, but that thought of one big confrontation was still very much real. Drakken could escape from prison and rally all of Kim and Ron's enemies for one final confrontation or someone else would come into the picture and give them that perilous final challenge.

"Um, Ron, what are you doing?" Kim asked as she felt her hand be touched by Ron's hand. "You aren't going to try and undress me again, aren't you?"

"No Kim, it's just that," stuttered Ron, his manly instincts coming back to him. "You are the most beautiful girl I have ever met and…"

Kim smiled warmly and all the thoughts that she had previously had when Ron made that compliment. Yes, he had told her that she was beautiful before, but this was something that she desperately needed after all they had been through lately.

"Thanks for saying that Ron," she giggled, playfully touching Ron's face with her hands. "I'm very lucky to have someone like you as a boyfriend and by the way…thank you for saving my life back there."

Ron felt himself feel very much flattered by this remark and realized that maybe he and Kim had a future together. Eric was out of the picture for good and Kim was all his. But, he had to remember that there was a much longer road ahead for both him and Kim.

"Well, just doing my thing, Kim," he said. "Seeing you at the mercy of Eric was the last thing I ever wanted to think. It's going to take me a while to get it out of my head."

Kim then pulled Ron towards her by his small necktie and briefly kissed him on the cheeks, much like they had did at the prom. Only this time, it was in a private setting with the sun setting on the lake in front of them.

"Then we'll face it together, Ron," whispered Kim as she undid Ron's tie in a seductive, yet careful manner. "I'm very lucky to have someone like you in my life."

"Me too, Kim, me too," Ron whispered as the two lovers once again engaged each other in a passionate kiss, even though Kim had to be careful because of Ron's arm. Ron was also careful to not unzip the back of Kim's dress, despite the growing passion that was between them.

They were still young, they still had their lives ahead of them, but that they had to get over this first big step of theirs.

But, as their time in the park drew to a close, both Kim and Ron realized at least they finally finished their first real date on a high note, just the way it was supposed to be.


End file.
